Rabbit Pie

If the rabbit is young and tender, three-quarters of an hour will be sufficient time to boil it, as for chicken pie. Proceed exactly as directed for chicken pie, adding the rabbit's liver finely minced, and a little minced parsley to the forcemeat.

Chicken and rabbit pies may be served either hot or cold.

Goose Pie

The remains of a roast goose are suitable for this pie-Out up the meat from the bones, which, with the skin and any stuffing which may be left, boil for two hours. When done, there should be a pint of strong gravy. Let it get cool and remove every particle of grease. At the bottom of a tart dish put a thin layer of good apple sauce, and on this the meat of the goose. Over this put another layer of apple sauce, and pour in as much gravy as the pie will hold. As there is no other seasoning, the gravy will require to be made very tasty with pepper and salt. If the pie is to be eaten hot, make a crust of shred suet.

If goose not previously roasted is used to make the pie it must be stewed for an hour or more. The apple sauce can be omitted, in which case a few boiled and minced onions can be used.

Pigeon Pie

Lay at the bottom of a large pie dish a thin layer of fine tender rump steak, and on this four pigeons cut in half, sprinkle with pepper and salt, allowing a teaspoonful of each to a pound of meat. Boil six eggs hard, put in the yolks and forcemeat balls between each piece of pigeon, and over them very thin slices of bacon cured without saltpetre, as this is apt to turn the contents of the pie red. If, however, the bacon is lightly boiled before putting into the pie this will not happen. Have ready a strong gravy made from beef, put in as much as the pie will hold, cover with puff paste (p. 215), and bake for an hour and a half in a moderate oven. A few mushrooms are a great addition to the pie.

Care should be taken to have the pigeons very fresh, and the pie should never be kept more than two days even in cold weather, as there is some peculiarity in the flesh of the pigeon which renders it liable to turn acid soon after it is baked in a pie, and in this state it is most unwholesome.

Game Pasty

The crust for a game pie can either be raised in the same manner as that for a pork pie, or be made in a tin mould; in this latter case six ounces of butter or lard may be used to the pound of flour. The greater the variety of game used to make a pasty the better, but a very good result may be obtained with two kinds. The great fault of home-made game pies is that they are often dry. To obviate this a good forcemeat must be made. Save the livers of the game, and if possible use that of more than one hare, beat them up in a mortar with five or six times their weight of fine calf's liver all previously simmered till cooked in stock. Add to this its weight of fat bacon also pounded. Mix the forcemeat well together, season with marjoram, thyme, and savory, a pinch of basil, cayenne pepper, and salt, and a very small shred of garlic. Bone and skin the game, lay a slice of fat ham at the bottom of the pie, then a layer of the forcemeat nearly an inch thick, put in the game, white and brown meat alternately, sprinkle with cayenne pepper and salt, then more forcemeat, and so on until the crust is full, placing over the whole of the contents a thick covering of fat ham. Let the pie bake in a quick oven for ten minutes, then moderate the heat and allow it to cook gently for two hours, or until the juices begin to simmer. Make a strong gravy of the bones and trimmings with a small piece of the knuckle of veal, and when the pie is cold pour in the gravy (see pork pie, p. 41).